LORD OF THE RINGS begins principal photography

New Line Cinema's THE LORD OF THE RINGS film trilogy, based on the classic fantasy trilogy by J.R. R. Tolkien, began principal photography in Wellington, New Zealand, onOctober 11, 1999. Peter Jackson (DEAD ALIVE aka BRAIN DEAD, MEET THEFEEBLES, HEAVENLY CREATURES) is directing from his own script. The threefilms that will make up the trilogy - THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, THE TWOTOWERS and THE RETURN OF THE KING - are being filmed at the same time, atactic that worked for the first two SUPERMAN films with Christopher Reeve.WETA Digital is doing the special visual effects under the direction ofvisual effects supervisor Mark Stetson (THE FIFTH ELEMENT and the upcomingSUPER NOVA). The story is about a fellowship of men, dwarves and hobbits,who set out on a journey to cast an evil, magical ring into the abyssbefore an evil wizard can get it and use its power to take over the landcalled Middle Earth. It is a ring that, before the tale is over, tempts andtests everyone, especially the tale's heroes, with a dream of absolutepower. Previously, the first book of the RINGS trilogy provided the basisfor Ralph Bakshi's THE LORD OF RINGS (1978), the first film of a neverfinished trilogy, and Rankin-Bass' television special THE RETURN OF THEKING (1980) was based on Tolkien's third volume.